What We Found in the Shadows
by Some Fantastic
Summary: A socially awkward sniper, a cocky brawler, an antisocial swordstress, and a flirty scythe-wielder. We know them as one of Beacon Academy's coolest and most legendary teams. Before that though, they were just four teenagers forced to work and live together. Witness the formation and meteoric rise of Team STRQ.
1. Welcome to Beacon

Ahoy there! Oh…I'm sorry. I won't do that again. Hello and welcome to my first fanfiction ever. I could sit here and tell you about how I was inspired to write this, but in all honesty it just kind of gradually formed in my head of its own accord. I love Qrow, Taiyang seems cool, and I want to see more STRQ. So I made more STRQ. You guys aren't here to listen to me ramble though, so let's get to the good part, huh?

* * *

What We Found in the Shadows

 _Welcome to Beacon_

* * *

Red eyes roved across the occupants of the airship, examining each person in hopes of identifying a suitable target. If someone had asked Qrow Branwen what he was looking for, he wouldn't have been able to give an answer beyond "I'll know it when I see it." His gaze settled on the splash of white sitting in the far corner of the room. He ran a hand through his hair, sweeping it back. A grin spread across his face, only for his thoughts to be interrupted by the person seated next to him.

"Why are you still hanging around me?" Raven sounded annoyed, though to be fair that was par for the course for her. Honestly, she was the only person Qrow knew capable of translating an eye roll into the tone of her voice. "I thought you couldn't wait to start making new friends. I know I was really looking forward to it."

Qrow chuckled and reached into his bag. "Keep your shirt on, sis. I had to scout out the prospects first. I'll be out of your over-styled hair in a minute." He pulled a soda can out of his bag and opened it, the ensuing crack-hiss conveniently covering Raven's irritated growl.

"Over-styled? I'm sorry we don't all want to look like we just rolled out of bed. Ass." She punched him in the shoulder. Hard. She never did bother to hold back where the physical punishment was involved.

He laughed. It was always so entertaining to push her buttons. "I can't help it that I'm just naturally this sexy." Raven's groan of disgust only made him grin wider. "Anyway, I found someone, so I'm leaving." He chugged his soda and tossed the empty can into his sister's lap as he stood up.

Casually strolling away, he leaned to his left without breaking stride, easily dodging the can Raven had thrown at the back of his head. He flipped her off and made his way toward the girl in the white cloak. The airship, though full of Beacon's entire incoming first year class, was plenty spacious enough to make his way across without any trouble. A lot of them actually seemed to be clustered around some blonde guy on the other side of the ship, laughing like he just said the funniest thing in the world.

That wasn't really important though. Not when there was a cute girl sitting all alone. She had the hood of her cloak up, obscuring her face from Qrow's angle, but the glimpses he caught had been enough to catch his attention. "Hey, there," he called out in the smoothest voice he could muster. "I couldn't help noticing you sitting all by yourself. Mind if I join you?"

The girl jumped and whipped around, turning her attention from the window on her left to Qrow in an instant. She also sunk down in her seat, her hood falling back a little to give Qrow his first real look at her face. It took more than a little effort to keep from stumbling as he looked into those silver eyes.

"Oh. Um…I…guess not?" That was a definite note of uncertainty. Still, it wasn't a rejection yet. Shy, Qrow guessed, based on the quiet softness of the girl's voice. That was fine though, he could work with that.

"Thanks." He gave her the most charming smile he could manage as he placed himself in the seat next to her. "My sister was driving me crazy," he jerked his head back toward Raven, already absorbed in a book now that his distracting presence was gone. "I had to find someone to talk to. I'm Qrow. Qrow Branwen."

"S-Summer Rose." Her eyes darted from side to side briefly before settling back on him. The poor girl seemed torn between wanting to be polite and wanting to run like hell. It was almost enough to make Qrow feel bad for bothering her. "It's, um, nice to meet you."

"Thanks, nice meeting you too." He leaned back in his seat and slid down a bit. "Summer's a pretty name. Suits you." Summer's face went crimson in the space of a heartbeat as she sank further into her seat, leaving Qrow to cast around for a topic that could save this. "Excited to get to Beacon?" He barely managed to keep from wincing. Oh, real good, Qrow. Nothing wins the ladies like talking about _school_. He took a deep breath and got ready for the forthcoming rejection.

It never came. Instead, her face lit up with a smile as bright as her eyes. "Oh, yeah! It's going to be great. It still hasn't really sunk in yet that I got accepted, you know?" She turned in her seat to face Qrow a little more.

Qrow grinned. "Have you thought at all about what you want to do for your team? There's still space on Team Qrow if you're interested."

"I, um…" Summer blushed yet again and looked down. "I was kind of just…planning on seeing what happened. I never really put any thought into it."

Qrow's grin faltered, just a little. "Oh, yeah, no that makes sense. Don't want to try to force things…" He trailed off uncertainly. Before he could find something new to say, the ship grew dim as the image of an older man was projected onto all the windows and screens.

"I'll keep this brief," the man began. "I am Professor Ozpin, the deputy headmaster of Beacon. It is my distinct pleasure to welcome you all to this academy. You have all chosen to dedicate yourselves to a higher calling, to protecting the people of Remnant from the darkness that threatens us all." Qrow grinned and chuckled at the way Summer seemed to sit straighter at the words. "The path you have chosen is not an easy one, and is certainly not a safe one. That said, we here at Beacon will do everything in our power to thank you all for this decision, and to prepare you for the futures before you. Congratulations and welcome to Beacon."

Ozpin's image disappeared, leaving a momentary silence among the occupants of the airship. Summer glanced over at Qrow and he opened his mouth to say something, only to be cut off by a sudden jostling as the airship touched landed. Summer shot to her feet. "It was nice to meet you. I have to go, bye." She disappeared in a puff of white rose petals before Qrow could so much as muster a goodbye.

Qrow sighed and pushed himself to his feet. Across the ship, Raven had the world's biggest shit eating grin and wasn't even trying to hide her laugher as she watched him. Welcome to Beacon, indeed.

-#-#-

Summer sprinted out of the airship, only to stop short at the bottom of the ramp and gaze up at the sight of Beacon Academy before her. She'd been the first one off the airship, but now the disembarking students flowed around her like water around a rock. Not that she cared, or even noticed. She'd made it, she was at Beacon. It was finally time to start making the world a better place. And she'd already made a…friend? A friendly acquaintance? She had a mostly positive interaction with someone!

She took a deep breath and a step forward just as something hit her from behind and sent her tumbling to the ground. "Ow…" she shook off the shock and pushed herself to her hands and knees.

"Whoa, sorry about that," a deep voice said from somewhere above her. "Got caught up in the view." A hand appeared in her vision and helped her to her feet.

Summer took a moment to dust off her cloak and look at the guy who knocked her down. Silver eyes met blue and Summer was suddenly thankful for the hood hiding most of her face. It helped hide the massive blush. Her fingers tapped together in a display of nervous anxiety. Of course the first two people she spoke to at Beacon had to be the two most attractive guys she'd ever seen. "I-it's fine. I did too. I shouldn't have stopped on the ramp like that."

He waved it off with an easy smile. "Eh, I should have been paying attention to where I was going. I'm Tai, by the way."

"Summer." Why did introductions have to be so difficult? Why were they necessary? The Grimm didn't care how sociable you were. Still…he was really handsome and he was smiling at her. Her cheeks burned.

Off ahead of them, some people were shouting for Tai's attention. He gave Summer another smile. "I better run before my friends get annoyed. I'll catch ya around, Sum." He winked and ran off.

That…was probably enough socialization for one day, right? Already, she felt fatigued from just two conversations. Nobody ever accused Summer Rose of being a social butterfly. With another great sigh, she started after the mass of students heading for the school. Heading off for the start of an exciting new future.

Summer started following them, only to stop short again and frown. That Ozpin guy…hadn't actually said anything about where they were supposed to go, had he? Or did she just miss it? This did not bode well. Missing key information hardly made for an auspicious start to her career as a Huntress.

Thankfully the roving crowd of other students didn't lead her astray and she soon found herself admiring the classical architecture of an auditorium of sorts. Stone arches drew the eye across the room to the raised platform at the far end. Already, the room was crowded with students waiting for further direction. She looked away from the empty stage and scanned the crowd. No sign of either of the two people she already knew, not that that was a problem. Summer Rose was perfectly happy to hover at the edges of a crowd and observe.

A few short minutes later, two men entered the hall and crossed to the middle of the stage. One, in probably his late fifties and walking with a cane, was obviously Professor Ozpin. The green suit and white hair were fairly distinctive. That mean the other would have to be…

"Good afternoon and welcome to Beacon." Headmaster Jeremy Rayleigh…did not match Summer's mental image of such a well-respected Huntsman. The top of his head fell a few inches short of even his deputy's collarbone. And he was _fat._ His entire form, from his jowls to his gut, jiggled with every step. "I cannot begin to tell you how delighted I am to see so many bright young faces before me today, ready to take the first steps to defending our world."

Now the eyes, those were a different story altogether. Those pale blue circles held a level of cunning, of intelligence, Summer had never seen before. Even now that Rayleigh had stopped moving, those eyes never did. They cataloged everything, constantly scanning for new developments and new threats. The eyes, at least, were those of a man long accustomed to battle, to both great victory and terrible defeat. Or maybe she was being overly poetic again. Her dad always said she tended to do that when she got excited. She blinked. Had…he kept talking the entire time she was spacing out? It would seem he had.

"…for the incredible prestige and glory this profession affords. You will be the defenders of the world, paragons of justice…" Summer quickly found herself tuning out again, excitement giving way to torpor. So many words, and yet he didn't seem to be saying anything. This man could probably bore an Alpha Beowolf into docility.

Still, maybe that was good for her? Living proof that good interpersonal skills weren't necessary for a successful career in Grimm murder. Yeah. She could live with that. Maybe not listen to it, but definitely live with it.

Some time later, and she truly had no clue how long the headmaster had been speaking, Rayleigh stepped away from the microphone and with one more wave to his newest students, walked out of the auditorium. Ozpin stepped up to take his place. "That concludes the welcome ceremony." Was it Summer's imagination or did even Ozpin seem relieved that the speech was done with? "You will spend tonight in the ballroom. In the morning you will report for initiation and the creation of your teams. Sleep well and good luck."

* * *

And that's it. On the short side, I know, but I didn't want to draw things out more than necessary. Initiation is next chapter. We'll start getting into the meat of it there. For now, I wanted to get this out there and introduce our heroes. Questions, comments, concerns? Drop a review. Thanks for reading!


	2. Into the Woods

Hello again, everyone. This took a little longer than I meant it to, but here we go, chapter two. In today's episode, our heroes begin their initiation challenge. Again, I don't want to waste your time up here, so let's move right on into the story. I'll pop in afterward.

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What We Found in the Shadows

 _Into the Woods_

* * *

"Today you take the first official steps in your careers as students of Beacon Academy." Professor Rayleigh grasped the lapels of his suit jacket and smiled out at the students lined up on the cliff side at the edge of the school's grounds. A few steps to the right and behind the headmaster, Professor Ozpin leaned just a little more heavily on his cane, his expression almost warning the students to settle in for the long haul. "Your initiation will not only serve to pair you with a partner and a team, but will serve as your professors' first opportunity to assess your skills."

Summer, her white cloak resplendent in the early morning sunlight, listened intently. Well…as intently as possible when the headmaster spoke. It was only the second time she had heard the man, but he already seemed prone to rambling on. Her eyes drifted from the two professors to the metal plate beneath her feet. What on Remnant was the deal with that? She studied it for a few seconds, trying to discern its purpose, before giving up and looking back up at Rayleigh.

"Once the test begins, you will all devise a landing strategy to safely reach the forest floor." Rayleigh gestured behind himself, toward the verdant expanse of the Emerald Forest at the base of the cliff. "Then you will traverse the treacherous landscape toward the ruins at the far side of the forest and retrieve one of the relics awaiting you. Do not hesitate to destroy any creatures of Grimm…"

The man's voice fell to a dull hum as Summer lost focus again. Her gaze drifted to her left, where Qrow stood on the plate next to her. His hands were clasped loosely behind his head, giving him a relaxed air that was only slightly undercut by the nervous tension of his jaw. Red eyes met silver and Qrow grinned, rolling his eyes at the headmaster's longwinded speech. Summer had to bite her lip to keep from giggling as she looked back over at Rayleigh. _Sweet Dust,_ the man was still going on.

"…with that in mind, your partner will be the first person to meet your eyes once the test begins." He seemed highly entertained by the ripple of surprise that rolled through the line of students at that, if the way his smile widened even further served as any indication. Even Ozpin appeared to enjoy it, a brief flicker of amusement crossing his face before it returned to its neutrally bored expression.

Summer's eyes widened. That's…all there is to it? They didn't get to choose? It was bad enough she had to have a partner, but she couldn't even choose one of the two people she'd already met? Her eyes drifted to Qrow again, then to Tai a few spaces further down the line. Neither of them seemed particularly put off by the news. Jerks. Meeting and dealing with people seemed to come to them as easily as breathing. Her heart started racing, more nervous about the prospect of being paired with a random stranger than about the forest full of monsters she was about to enter.

In front of them, Rayleigh abruptly stopped talking when Ozpin touched his shoulder. "Sir, perhaps it would be good to start the test? I'm sure the students are all eager to get underway."

If the headmaster noticed the collective sigh of relief that ran through the line of students, he didn't show it. "Right, right, of course. Do bear in mind, students, that while the staff will be observing, we will not intervene if you run into trouble." He smiled, touching something on his scroll. "Good luck."

Summer felt the entire world lurch as the plate under her shifted, launching her into the air above the forest. In her peripheral vision, she idly noted that the rest of the students had been similarly propelled. She glanced down at the treetops whizzing by beneath her. Suddenly Rayleigh's mention of a landing strategy made much more sense.

She smiled. Landings were easy if you were properly prepared, which she was, naturally. She made a mental note to write a thank you letter to one of her old professors at Signal. The man always liked to impress upon his students the very real possibility of a high fall. _"Grimm don't need to eat,"_ he would say. _"They have no problem wasting a potential meal if it makes for an effective kill. I've seen Nevermores and Griffons drop their prey to let them splatter on the ground."_

Something about that had always stuck with Summer. Such an unfitting end to such a noble career. She smiled again, this time at the solution she had come up with to the problem. Her right hand reached for the inner lining of her cloak, fumbling around for a moment before finding the small handle. With a firm pull, a sheen of blue energy ran along the edges of her cloak, the garment suddenly straightening out and going rigid.

Dust woven clothing was always an expensive proposition, but Summer had trouble regretting the decision as she glided to the ground at a much more survivable rate. Designing the Dust pattern properly had required a lot of careful work. And it was worth every second when the result was a personal hang glider!

A few feet off the ground, she pulled the handle again and the cloak went slack, dropping her the rest of the way down. She hit the ground feet first and rolled to absorb the last of her momentum. She scanned the area for any threats, hand resting on her weapon. The forest proved blessedly peaceful for the moment. She threw her arms up and let out a victory cry. "I am awesome!" _Cough_. She cleared her throat and lowered her arms sheepishly, muttering to herself. "It's okay, Summer. Nobody saw that."

Shaking her head, she set off deeper into the woods, only to be brought up short by a voice from behind. "I wouldn't be so sure about _that_."

-#-#-

"Come on, Tai, think…" The words were lost in the wind as Taiyang Xiao Long soared through the air, not that anyone was around to hear them anyway. Rayleigh and Ozpin had made it sound so simple when they were explaining it. Launch into the Emerald Forest, find a partner, find a relic, get out. Oh, and kill any Grimm that got in the way, though that was more or less a given.

It wasn't until the plate at his feet had flung him out into the air above the forest that he realized he didn't _have_ a landing strategy. No nifty gadget to slow himself down. No awesome weapon to hook onto a tree and ease himself to the ground. No crazy semblance to control his fall. Nothing but him, his wits, and the inexorable pull of gravity. His eyes darted around, searching for anything to save his ass.

His gaze settled on a series of trees that were…probably appropriately spaced. Close enough at least. The first was coming up fast, too fast. Right then. First order of business, slow down. He thrust out his arms and legs to maximize air resistance and found himself rewarded with a satisfying jolt of lost speed. Perfect.

First tree coming up and…KICK! The impact rattled his bones, but he slowed down even more as he angled away and toward the next tree. Another perfectly timed kick and now he was falling faster than he was moving forward. By the fourth tree, he had settled into a nice rhythm, limiting his fall to a considerably safer speed. The fifth and sixth went by without incident, now just angle off this next branch and it's hello solid ground.

"Wooo!" Tai's triumphant shout echoed through the trees as he forced his foot against the outcropping of wood and leaves. Except it didn't work the way it was supposed to. Instead of pushing himself off the branch and into a graceful landing, the air was filled with the loud crack of breaking wood. Tai and the broken branch tumbled to Remnant in a heap, a nervous, swearing heap.

He landed with a dull crash, groaning and cursing, thanking any deities out there for the existence of aura. "Nailed it." The sarcasm was almost palpable. Blue eyes peeled open and looked around. Oh good. It didn't look like anyone saw that. Brushing the dirt off his brown vest and cargo pants, he stood up. _Sigh._ Not the most auspicious start to things, but at least he made it to the ground. Next order of business, head for the ruins. Which he would do! Just as soon as he figured out which way they were.

He ran a hand through his short blonde hair, his eyes narrowing in the direction of the sun. He checked his scroll to confirm the time. Still morning. Sun rises in the east, so sense of direction reestablished. If the ruins were to the north, that would mean he needs to go… "That way," a cocky grin spread across his face as he headed off deeper in to the woods. "Taiyang, you are a genius."

This didn't actually seem so bad. It wasn't quiet, there was too much life in the woods, but the gentle sounds of nature were relaxing in a way. The undergrowth rustled and crunched beneath his boots as he pushed onward, keeping his eyes peeled for both student and Grimm. The young man found himself disappointed on both fronts. It seemed he had landed in a rather deserted part of the forest. That was more than a little disappointing, that meant no partner and no excitement.

In that second, Taiyang Xiao Long made a decision. If nothing interesting was happening, he'd make something interesting. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted. "Anybody home?" A beat. Two beats. Nothing happened. "Come on, there's gotta be someone out there."

This time his shout earned a response, a low growl and two glowing red dots up ahead of him. He groaned. "Taiyang, you are an idiot." A grin slowly spread across his face as he slipped his hands into his pockets. "Well hey there, big guy. Looking for a good time?"

The Ursa's only response was to roar and charge forward, knocking over a tree in its haste to kill the fool that had wandered into its domain. Its footsteps thundered, shaking the ground beneath Tai's feet. The instant the beast made it into range, it reared back and unleashed a swipe at the pathetic human, only for said human to step back at the last instant, his hands not even leaving his pockets.

Tai never stopped grinning, even when the Ursa's claws left furrows in the ground where he had been standing mere seconds earlier. "Oh, I'm sorry, too slow. There's no consolation prize, but you're welcome to try again."

It was only too happy to oblige, snapping at him with its powerful jaw while it regained its balance from the failed strike. Again, Tai stepped out of the way an instant before it made contact. With an enraged roar, the Ursa unleased a flurry of swipes that forced Tai to bob and weave out of the way. He laughed, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize we were done playing." His hands finally left his pockets. In his fists, the metal of brass knuckles gleamed in the sunlight filtering through the trees. "That's cool too. I can get serious."

The Ursa roared again, the rancid stench of decay washing over Tai and making his eyes water. He rolled his eyes and launched a haymaker at the side of the monster's head. The crack of brass knuckle meeting bone plate echoed through trees. Bits of bone and flecks of blood flew through the air as the bear Grimm staggered to one side. Tai didn't give it a chance to recover, following up with two more punishing blows. The first, a right hook, cracked the other side of its head plate. An uppercut came next, shattering the Grimm's teeth and sending it flopping onto its back with a crash.

The beast roared, whether in pain or fury, Tai didn't know. He leapt into the air and came down on top of it, driving his fist clean through its face. His knuckles actually touched dirt as the Ursa died. He pulled his fist out of the dead monster's head and stood up, grin back in place. "Thanks for playing All Tai'd Up. Better luck next time."

More roars carried through the trees and the smile fell from his face. Four more Ursae stomped into the clearing. His eyes flicked to each one in turn, then fell to the rapidly evaporating dead Ursa in front of him. He chuckled. "Hoo boy. There is just an acre of you fellas, isn't there?"

His hands tightened around his weapons. This was going to be fun.

-#-#-

Raven Branwen heaved a sigh, one weighed down with frustration and boredom. How anyone could be surprised by this sudden launching was beyond her. Besides the fact that the headmaster had said the words "landing strategy," what else could the metal plates in the ground have been? And yet, just about every student had let out a startled yelp as they were thrown into the air.

She shook her head, the air rushing past her face and making her eyes water. It hardly mattered. It was time to get to work now. Vivid red eyes drifted shut as she concentrated, feeling her body twist and compress. The familiar sensation of simultaneous squeezing and stretching briefly overtook her consciousness as she allowed her semblance to turn her into a raven. She cawed happily. Landing was one thing she'd never have to worry about.

With a quick flap of her wings, Raven took a wide spiral to bring herself to the ground. As she skimmed the treetops, a white blur glided past her, descending rapidly. She followed it down. Landing on a low branch, Raven watched the blur weave between the trees and out of sight.

She focused again, letting her body stretch and twist back into human form. With a soft groan, she tilted her head and earned a satisfying crack from her neck. As fun as it could be, turning into a bird had a tendency to leave her a little sore. She pushed off the branch with a quiet grunt and landed in a silent crouch.

Hand on the hilt of her sword, Raven crept forward keeping an eye out for any wandering Grimm. Up ahead, from the direction the white blur headed, a shout echoed through the woods, "I am awesome!" Raven raised an eyebrow, torn between amusement and irritation at the stupidity of shouting in the middle of a Grimm infested forest. A small cough, followed by a much quieter comment. "It's okay, Summer. Nobody saw that."

Amusement finally won out on Raven's expression as the figure came into view. A girl walking away at a rapid pace. She smirked and rested a hand on her hip, "I wouldn't be so sure about _that_."

The girl, Summer, all but jumped out of her skin and spun around. Her reddish black hair fanned out from the speed of the turn, and Raven found herself staring down the barrel of a rifle. Raven blinked. She hadn't even seen the smaller girl reaching for her weapon. "Oh," she squeaked, lowering her weapon. "Sorry. You startled me."

Raven shrugged, still trying to get over how quickly the girl managed to bring up her gun. "It's fine. You should be on edge out here. This isn't exactly a safe place."

"Heh. Y-yeah. I guess you're right." She looked down sheepishly. "Um…I'm Summer."

Raven watched her thoughtfully for a moment. She had to fight down an almost irresistible urge to silently stare the girl down. Instead, she decided to listen to her brother's advice for perhaps the first time ever. Raven Branwen smiled and acted friendly. "Hi, Summer. I'm Raven Branwen."

Summer's head snapped up at that. "Oh…you're Qrow's sister?"

"You know Qrow?" Raven tilted her head before recognition flashed across her eyes. "You're the girl from the airship. The one he was trying to hit on."

"W-what? No! It…it wasn't like that!" Her face went red enough that Raven was almost concerned for her health. "We were just talking. He said he wanted to get away from…" Her voice trailed off with a groan. "He was hitting on me?"

"I wouldn't worry about it," Raven grinned, using all her willpower to keep from laughing. "He'll hit on anything that moves."

Summer buried her face in her hands. "That…really isn't comforting."

This time Raven really did laugh, moving past Summer with a pat on the shoulder. "I didn't think it would be. Come on we shouldn't waste time."

"Wait…what?" she lifted her face from her hands and hurried to keep up.

Raven looked back over her shoulder. "We made eye contact, didn't we? We're partners now."

The only answer she got was a high caliber bullet whizzing over her shoulder. Once again she hadn't even seen Summer drawing her weapon, not that she dwelled on the fact as she faced forward again. A dead Beowolf slumped to the ground just a few feet away from her, the front of its face blown off. Her eyes widened. She hadn't even heard it approaching.

She thumbed the selector on her sword's sheath, the cylinder spinning to the fire dust chamber. When she drew the blade, it was glowing faintly with red energy. "Thanks for that." Another Beowolf leapt at her, losing its head in a flash of gleaming metal. "We should really keep moving. There's going to be more of them."

Summer nodded, the barrel of her rifle sweeping from side to side as she scanned for threats. Her silver eyes took on a harder edge than Raven ever expected from the girl. She pointed in a direction. "The ruins should be that way. I'll take the front if you watch my back."

"Got it." Raven had to admit to being impressed. Summer seemed to know what she was doing. Maybe she lucked out on the partner front. She grinned at the thought of the kind of idiot Qrow would probably end up paired with.

-#-#-

The wind whipped through Qrow's hair, the loud _whoosh_ of air rushing past his ears almost soothing in a white noise kind of way. There were few things he loved more than being in the air. He laughed to himself. The headmaster told them to improvise a landing strategy like it was supposed to be some kind of challenge. Although, in all fairness, most people didn't have a semblance like his. Grinning ear to ear, he tucked his arms against his sides and twisted, quickly turning into a gray blur. A brief squeezing sensation later and Qrow Branwen was gone, replaced by a crow gliding lazily through the air.

Another laugh bubbled out of him, this one manifesting as a single _caw_. He flapped his wings and circled the forest, scouting the area while he looked for a suitable landing space. The clearing echoing with the sound of gunfire sounded promising. Angling toward the open space, he sped down to the ground, twisting into a small black blur and hitting the ground in human form a few yards away from the commotion. His hand glided to the grip of his weapon, drawing it from under his red cloak. Time for the fun to start.

He dashed into the clearing to find a blonde guy running and leaping around, generally wailing on a mob of Ursae. Having fun with it too, if the whoops and insults served as any indicator. Qrow had to admit, the guy didn't seem to be having any trouble with the monsters. Already, a handful of decaying Grimm littered the forest floor. Still, no reason to not be neighborly.

With a quick squeeze of the controls hidden in the hilt of his weapon, it unfolded into sword form before smoothly cycling directly to shotgun mode. The familiar vibration and hum of the weapon's clockwork internal workings served to calm him. His breathing slowed and the world seemed to slow with it. Two trigger pulls translated to two shotgun blasts, which in turn dropped two Grimm.

The guy glanced in his direction, cataloging Qrow's presence and acknowledging it with a quick nod of thanks before he turned back to cave in an Ursa's ribcage with a brutal jab. For his part, Qrow ran forward, weapon snapping back to sword form right before it sliced the final monster's head from its shoulders.

Red eyes scanned the tree line for any more threats. When none emerged, he folded up his sword and reattached it to the magnetic clasp on his back. It was almost a shame. He hadn't even needed to move up to scythe form. Oh, wait, blonde guy was probably expecting him to say something. "Hope you don't mind me crashing the party."

He laughed. "I don't know, man. I had my heart set on dancing with the big one there." He nodded at the headless Ursa billowing black smoke into the air at Qrow's feet.

Qrow snorted. "Sorry about that. If you're into terrifying beasts that'll rip your face off without provocation, I'll introduce you to my sister." He strolled over and held out a hand. "Name's Qrow, by the way."

"Taiyang," the blonde responded. He shook the proffered hand and grinned. "Call me Tai."

"All right, Tai." Qrow nodded and looked around. "Guess we're stuck together then, huh?"

"Sure looks like it." Tai chuckled, nodding toward the north and walking further into the forest. He glanced back at Qrow with a lopsided grin. "Did you say sister?"

"You don't want any part of that," Qrow shook his head. "She'll rip your balls off."

Any answer Tai would have had was cut off by a loud snapping sound from up ahead. He stopped short, slipping his hands into his pockets, "Oh, please tell me that's not what I think it is."

"Sure sounds like it." Qrow triggered his sword again, letting the blade unfold to its full length.

Tai groaned as he pulled out his brass knuckles. "I _hate_ Deathstalkers, man." He started twisting and unfolding his brass knuckles, fitting them together into a handgun. His hand disappeared into a pocket again, drawing out a magazine of Dust rounds. "They freak me the hell out."

Qrow just nodded, thumb twitching at the hilt of his sword, ready to unleash the scythe. "What do you think? Do we take it or try to go around?"

"I would love to go around, but I don't like the idea of having a Deathstalker hanging around somewhere behind us." He took a deep breath and hefted the gun in his hands. "Let's wreck its day."

"Let's do it." Qrow muttered, stepping past Tai and creeping toward the snapping sound. He wound his way through the trees, taking care to make as little noise as possible. Tai followed close behind, swearing under his breath.

The pair broke through into a sizeable clearing and the source of the snapping became readily apparent. Sure enough, a Deathstalker stood in the middle of the clearing, snapping its claws menacingly as it turned to face them, its red eyes blazing in the morning sunlight. Then the rest turned to face the two Huntsmen-in-training. Half a dozen scorpion Grimm stared at them, each promising a horrific, stabbing, pinching death.

"Uh…Qrow?" Tai whispered, voice shaking and eyes wide.

"Yeah, Tai?" Qrow's voice stayed at a whisper as well, trying not to trigger the Grimm.

"I think we should run."

The Deathstalkers responded before Qrow could, wailing and charging at the two men. Their pincers and stingers reached for them as if hungry for blood.

"Yeah. Run!" Qrow took off running, Tai hot on his trail. The dense trees didn't even slow the pursuing monsters, tearing them down in their haste to get a pair of kills. Gunshots rang out as Tai fired over his shoulder, though based on the sounds of pursuit on their tail, the Grimm remained undeterred. "You got a plan, blondie?"

"Stay in one piece," the brawler shouted, his eyes wide with barely restrained panic. "Keep running."

"Real great long term strategy there, Tai," Qrow drawled. Not that he had anything better at the moment. He sighed. And it had all been going so well.

-#-#-

Summer sighed. Everything had been going so well, too. There hadn't been a ton of conversation between her and her partner, she was too shy and Raven too taciturn for that, but the little discussion they had proved friendly enough. It seemed to hit a wall before too long though. The past ten minutes had passed wordlessly as they pushed through the dense forest.

Truth be told, the silence was starting to get to her a little bit. If being at Beacon meant having a partner, she didn't want the relationship to consist entirely of awkward silence. Summer was no stranger to awkward silence, but even she had her limits! If Raven wouldn't make the effort to connect, she'd do it. No matter how many knots her stomach tied itself into at the very idea.

"So…" she began, trailing off immediately as she cast around for something, anything to talk about. Behind her, Raven hummed noncommittally, waiting for her to continue. "Do you…uh…"

Thankfully, she was saved from coming up with a topic by screaming from off in the distance. She spun to her left, toward the sound, the barrel of her weapon moving as she scanned for targets. "Someone's in trouble."

"I'm sure whoever it is can handle whatever they're dealing with," Raven sounded bored. "We should keep moving."

Summer frowned. "But what if they can't?" Her eyes kept straining for any sign of what was going on, but the trees were too dense. Another echoed through the air, leaving Summer to shake her head. "We should go help them."

Raven sighed, "Summer, if anything in this forest is too much for them, they don't deserve a spot at Beacon. It's best if we let whatever is going to happen happen."

"I…what?" That brought Summer's head whipping around toward her partner. "How can you say that? We're Huntresses. We're supposed to help people."

She sensed her partner go still behind her. "No," Raven grated out. "We're supposed to kill Grimm. Everything else is incidental. The world's a harsh place, Summer. It only helps those who can help themselves."

"I…" Summer's jaw dropped as she searched for words, searched for some way to respond to such overwhelming cynicism. "I can't accept that. You can do what you want, but I'm going to help." She ran off in the direction of the continuing shouts without giving Raven a chance to respond.

Raven cursed under her breath and ran a hand through her hair. "Damn it." She sheathed her sword, letting the Dust chamber spin to blue. The blade reappeared, crackling faintly with electricity, as she sprinted after her partner.

* * *

And there you have it. I spent a while going round and round over who I wanted the partners to be. Pair up the Branwens for maximum bickering? Stick antisocial Raven with life of the party Tai? In the end the potential for Tai and Qrow antics proved to great to resist.

I'll admit, writing for Raven is probably the toughest part of this for me. I hope there's something resembling a coherent character coming across. We got a glimpse of the worldview that Qrow doesn't agree with at the end there.

That's all for now. Hope you all enjoyed it. Drop me a line and let me know what you think. What am I doing well? What needs work? I'm eager to hear from you!

Oh, one last thing! I'm in the market for a beta reader, someone who can proofread and act as a sounding board. I know where I want this story to go, but I'd like someone to bounce ideas off of. Anybody out there interested?


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